Fuel Pump question

[Scirocco16v]

Why doesn't my gas tank blow up? I recently replaced my stock fuel pump on S14 with a walbro unit and was suprised to find a lot of wires in the fuel tank. I would think that there would be some sort of rubber capsule or something to separate it from the very flammable gas. With the negative and positive wiring submerged in the gas, doesn't it create a spark, causing a big boom that ends my life in a flash, sort of speak? And what about the actual fuel pump? If you ever messed around with DC motors, there is always some sort of spark created by the armature and the brushes. Initially, just starting the car felt kinda scary. Thanks for shedding some light on this matter.
Modified by Scirocco16v at 12:57 AM 1/21/2005

[s13sr20chris]

electrical current flows through radicals or ions. those are "halves" of a molecule that are separated when in solution. i dont believe there are enough in gasoline to allow current flow. also, gasoline is only a fuel. for every pound of gasoline you need somewhere around 14.7 pounds of air to give proper combustion(stoichiometric). one pound of air is a huge volume. i believe the only time you have much potential for explosion is when the tank is just about bone dry. of course the entire tank does not have to be at stoich but rather a local area could be if the spark were available to that area.

[Scirocco16v]

Thanks for the info. Just the thought of it seems a little scary. I'm use to the fuel pumps in german cars that are either external or enclosed in a capsule of some sort. Out here in California they have signs at gas stations that suggest that you don't carry gas in the bed of your truck. If the truck has a bedliner, the static electricity can possibly ignite the fuel. Thanks again!